Covid-19

[Bjwh86]

Are companies still having full bus loads or have they restricted to only half capacity due to social distancing? As in 1 person per seat and half standing capacity.

[Fleet Lists]

As has been posted elsewhere the volume of travellers is currently less that 50% of what it was before coronavirus in most cities. The reduction is not a matter of travel restrictions as such. So full loads are now rare.

[Campbelltown busboy]

Are companies still having full bus loads or have they restricted to only half capacity due to social distancing? As in 1 person per seat and half standing capacity.

The answer to that question is no all seats excluding the two taped off seats at the front of a bus are available and I do still see young couples sharing a seat witch I saw exactly this happen on the bus I caught into Liverpool while I was on my way home from work yesterday afternoon

[Swift]

answer to that question is no all seats excluding the two taped off seats at the front of a bus are available and I do still see young couples sharing a seat witch I saw exactly this happen on the bus I caught into Liverpool while I was on my way home from work yesterday afternoon

We all know how a lot of young people have behaved through this.

[Off The Rails]

As reported here, Transperth will be reducing their services down to a Saturday timetable during the weekdays, for 3 weeks, starting on Monday the 6th. This does pose some issues, as a fair amount of routes will be without services - whether or not that will be rectified is to be seen. An overview of the changes can be seen here.

Cheers!

[eddy]

If you have 36 minutes this guy is a real expert on the virus https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gAk7aX5hksU&t=22s

[tonyp]

Victoria is prohibiting cash fares in the MYKI area.

[tonyp]

Operations not having the front doors of buses locked down are really playing with fire:

COVID-19 turns Sydney transport into a ghost network
Tiffanie Turnbull and Benita Kolovos, The Sunday Telegraph
April 4, 2020 9:35am

Public transport services have become a network of ghost trains, trams and buses as states report patronage reductions of up to 90 per cent.

Considered as essential services during the coronavirus pandemic, public transport continues to operate.

But many vehicles and carriages are bereft of passengers amid restrictions on travel and work-from-home guidelines.

Traditional peak-hour queues have become a trickle, with masked drivers often setting off with only one or two seats filled.

Public transport providers are carrying out extra sanitising of buses, trams and carriages for those who do travel, and taking other measures to protect drivers.

Transport for NSW buses have seating immediately behind drivers cordoned off and the front Opal-card readers covered so passengers don’t linger near the driver.

But some passenger behaviour has not improved. A 2019 survey by the NSW Transport Workers Union found 81 per cent of drivers endure daily verbal abuse.

Union state secretary Richard Olsen says drivers are “still copping dangerous behaviour from passengers”.

He said a passenger spat at a driver on Wednesday, and another passenger sneezed on a driver’s arm last Saturday. COVID-19 test results are awaited for both drivers.

Patronage across all Transport for NSW services is down by 75-85 per cent in the past four weeks, a spokesperson said, but there are no plans to reduce services.

“By maintaining the existing level of service on the NSW public transport network, customers are able to better practise social distancing when using the network for essential travel,” the spokesperson said.

[Skexis]

Article from Detroit. Meanwhile in Adelaide Southlink drivers have been issued with a bottle of hand sanitizer and the front seats of the buses have been taped off but otherwise it's business as usual. Still no gloves or masks.

https://mol.im/a/8183691

[Merc1107]

Until the shortages on masks in particular ease up as manufacturers switch to producing more of them, then I don't see any backflips in policy taking place soon.

[tonyp]

Until the shortages on masks in particular ease up as manufacturers switch to producing more of them, then I don't see any backflips in policy taking place soon.

Closing that damn front door is really more important than masks and gloves.

[Skexis]

In Adelaide the front door is usually a double door whereas the rears are only one. Having everyone get on and off using one single door would be a bit of an ask.

[tonyp]

In Adelaide the front door is usually a double door whereas the rears are only one. Having everyone get on and off using one single door would be a bit of an ask.

Yes that's one of the significant problems of city bus specification in Australia, except Perth and Sydney. However it's better to do it regardless and there are far less people riding at present which helps.

[Swift]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1QA4ISC ... e=youtu.be.

Obviously filmed by a moron who doesn't think essential travel rules apply.

Hey Linto how did you know it was me?!!

[STMPainter2018]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1QA4ISC ... e=youtu.be.

Obviously filmed by a moron who doesn't think essential travel rules apply.

The guys made a video already explaining the situation involving COVID-19. You can watch it here: https://youtu.be/fzpy4HsRkJA

[rogf24]

I guess you could say that his "work" is filming public transport vehicles and he can't do that at home? So he has to travel for work would be his excuse if he wants to bend the rules like that.

[rogf24]

Meanwhile, in London, they're finally doing centre-door boarding... and in the time between the start of the outbreak and the new door policy, 9 bus workers have died from the virus. Real geniuses over there. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-london-52212143

[Swift]

Why is there stubborn point blank refusals to do it in the wake of this unprecedented epidemic in Sydney?
The powers that be will have a lot to answer for as well as cough up with litigation if they don't stop adhering to archaic practises like a deranged security blanket.

[Swift]

I'm glad he got to document NY's fabulous subway just in time!

[tonyp]

Meanwhile, in London, they're finally doing centre-door boarding... and in the time between the start of the outbreak and the new door policy, 9 bus workers have died from the virus. Real geniuses over there. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-london-52212143

The Australian bus industry are their relatives. But there is also a difference between those jurisdictions that haven't acted out of either ignorance or apathy (SA, Tas, Victoria, NT) and those who refuse to act because they won't let go of established policies at any cost. PTA WA with its obsession with revenue protection and maintaining cash fares and TfNSW with its obsession with not allowing boarding by rear doors. These two should be particularly held to account.

As for all those operations with only one door buses, both in UK and here, their drivers must be loving it.

Edit:

Something proactive at last:

https://www.busnews.com.au/industry-new ... -discussed

[Merc1107]

PTA WA with its obsession with revenue protection and maintaining cash fares

As I've said before, the cash fares aren't such a bug considering they're used by a relatively small number of people (dependent on the area, naturally). The refusal to change policy to cater for the sheer majority of passengers not requiring contact with the driver is beyond silly, and of course, they could easily put a hold on accepting cash fares and issue those passengers in need with travel passes of some description.

Using "revenue protection" as an excuse is an utter joke - while policing is fairly strong on the rail network, on the bus network, you'll rarely (if ever) find RPOs out and about. The only thing the PTA are actively policing on a widespread basis are presentation issues on the bus fleet...

[Swift]

It's the bus industry acting typical like they live in their own bubble like they are not part of the country.
We have the world turned upside down on the news while they play business as usual with apparent impunity.
Are they part of ASIO where they get these extraordinary exemptions?

[Passenger 57]

Have the rats taken advantage of the current crisis to seize control?

[Fleet Lists]

I think the NRL also thinks they should be able to get those exemptions..

[MotorOmnibus8562]

A little off topic but worth sharing:

https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.news.c ... e80e8cff21

Grimm finding on sydney train seats.

I saw another video on facebook showing a man slapping a seat on a train (I believe its a tangara) and dust flies everywhere.....